Clippers 105, Cavaliers 89: Powerful Clips too much for Cavs

Cleveland Cavaliers' Shaun Livingston, right, cannot score under pressure from Los Angeles Clippers' Ronny Turiaf, from France, during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game on Friday, March 1, 2013, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul threw an alley-oop pass to Blake Griffin for a dunk in their 105-89 blowout victory over the Cavaliers on Friday before a sold-out crowd of 20,562 at Quicken Loans Arena.

"The Clippers were just a better basketball team than us tonight," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "We tried to react to everything rather than being the aggressor. We couldn't come out with that kind of mentality."

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The Clippers (43-18) had at least a dozen dunks in the game, six by Griffin.

Shooting guard Dion Waiters paced the Cavs with 17 points and six assists, continuing his fine play since the All-Star break. He was honored before the game with the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award.

But the Cavs needed more scorers in their arsenal.

They shot just 44.6 percent from the field and were pushed around on the boards, 39-32.

The real difference was in points in the paint, where the Clippers had a major 50-28 edge.

"We have to foul those guys," Cavs power forward Tristan Thompson said.

Griffin, a Western Conference All-Star, finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. DAndre Jordan added 10 points and five rebounds. However, he was just 2 of 5 from the foul line. Jordan had five dunks. The Clippers abused the Cavs in the paint.

"That was a very good team we just lost to," Scott said. "We came out sluggish for whatever reason, on our heels.

"When you lose your best player, you can survive that for three or four games (and then it catches up to you)."

Irving has missed the last three games with a hyperextended right knee.

The Clippers' Chris Paul showed why many think he's the best point guard in the league. He directed traffic for the Clippers, who have won eight of their last nine games.

Paul finished with 11 points and a game-high 15 assists.

The Clippers were led by guard Jamal Crawford's game-high 24 points. A leading candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award, he converted 8 of 14 from the field, 3 of 5 from behind the arc.

"He's a difference-maker," Scott said. "We were soft with everyone else. Why not be soft with him as well?"

Crawford was drafted by the Cavs in 2000 and traded to Chicago for center Chris Mihm.

"They have guys who can make plays," Thompson said. "Jamal Crawford can score 20 points in like five minutes."

The Clippers snapped a 10-game losing streak at The Q dating to March 10, 2002.

The Cavs had their modest two-game winning streak ended. Thompson recorded his 20th double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Swingman C.J. Miles added 16 points off the bench.

Cavs point guard Shaun Livingston, drafted by the Clippers in 2004, added 10 points. He was not nearly as effective as he was in his previous two starts.

The Clippers shot better as the game wore on. They finished with 51.8 percent from the field.